How to Incorporate Gratitude into Your Work Life

It can be so easy to get caught up in negative, draining thoughts throughout your work day. You think about how you’re going to have to work late just to get caught up, your to-do list seems to get longer as the day goes on, and you just can’t wait for Friday. Your heart starts to race as you think about all the things you have to get done and you feel like you’ll never get caught up.

At a time like this, it can be hard to think positive, let alone think about gratitude. However, this is the best time to do so. Here are some easy ways to incorporate gratitude into your time at work to make it more enjoyable for not only yourself, but for everyone around you.

1.Write It Down

Start or end your day by writing down all the things you are grateful for. If you aren’t exactly happy in your job, write down that you are grateful for what your job provides you. Does your job allow you to make money to drive a car, or provide a roof over your head? Does it allow you to be able to afford that yoga class you take every week?

Instead of thinking about monetary gains, you can think instead about the kind of emotional support your job may give you. Does your job allow you to interact with interesting people? Do you learn how to deal with certain types of people? Think about all the things you have learned about yourself through your job. Have you learned how to deal with conflict better? Have you become a better communicator?

Think about how your job is helping your future. Has your job given you a skill that can help you in the future? Have you learned leadership skills? Have you become more organized?

Writing down what you are grateful for helps you to appreciate your job more. Sometimes we lose sight of what is important and the types of things our job provides for us. We also learn where we fall short. This task can help you identify the areas that you should work on. Take this time to reflect. Can you learn something more from your coworkers? Should you work on your communications skills? You may find that some areas have room for improvement and some areas truly are better than you think.

2. Say Thank You

This might be a no-brainer, but always remember to say thank you even for the smallest things. If someone pointed out a mistake in your work, thank them for bringing it to your attention. Whether you think so or not, they are trying to help you. If they didn’t care, they wouldn’t have brought it to your attention. If someone helped you with something, thank them for their time and express how much you appreciate them.

When you have a positive attitude and express gratitude to people, they will notice. One of my favorite quotes is from Maya Angelou and she said, “at the end of the day, people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel”. Remember that you can lift people up and also bring them down with you. When you bring people up, they will remember how you made them feel and will want to bring you up with them. Say good morning to people, let them know that you are thankful for their presence and it will always be reciprocated.

3. Do Something Nice

Show someone you really care by bringing in doughnuts and coffee or ask them if they want to go to lunch or even if they want to walk to the break room with you. A small gesture like this shows people you are thankful to have them in your life. Sometimes it’s not always enough to just tell people thank you, sometimes it’s better to show it. Seeing people in a different setting is also helpful in building a trusting relationship. The next time you see someone in the break room, stop for a minute just to say hi and ask them how their day is going. It’s nice to take your mind out of work mode for a moment. This shows them you care about them because you are taking time out of your day to see how they are doing. Next time you see them, chances are they will spark up a conversation with you and you will feel their gratitude towards you. Gratitude is something that when given will always come back to you. The more you put out, the more you will get back.

Practice these three tips and notice how much your attitude improves toward your work and the people you’re around. Let me know if you tried to incorporate more gratitude into your work life and how it has worked out for you!

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I loved this post and video, Shelby! Thank you. I have been wanting to try oils, and this video has really motivated me to do so. I have problems with stress, too, and your description about how our senses get really overwhelmed is 100% accurate for me. I really love music, too, and this post reminded me to use music more to help me. Thanks for this excellent advice.

Thank you!! I’m so glad you are going to start using oils! I just started and I absolutely love them. I have also been incorporating meditation and yoga which has been helping a lot. It’s nice to know we are together in this. Let me know how it works out for you!! I’d love to hear about your journey.